Educator Testing

Welcome to the office of Educator Testing at the Texas Education Agency. The office of Educator Testing is responsible for the overall management and monitoring of the statewide educator certification testing contract as well as the development and implementation of testing rules. This page provides testing information related to obtaining a Texas educator certificate. Texas law requires that educators pass appropriate tests to become certified. The appropriate examination(s) required for certification are specified in Texas Administrative Code, §230.21(e). Further information about current, past and future tests may be found below:

Testing Announcements and Updates

HB 3 Update - Master Teacher Update

Effective September 1, 2019, as mandated by House Bill 3 (HB 3), the State Board for Educator Certification may no longer issue new or renew master teacher certificates. In addition, master teacher certificates already issued will be updated to include the word “legacy” as part of the certificate title. The implementation of HB 3 will impact educator preparation programs (EPPs), candidates seeking master teacher certification, and current master teacher certificate holders.

Family and Consumer Science Update

Beginning July 16, 2019, Texas candidates will use the Pearson website to register and schedule exam appointments for the following AAFCS certification exams:

#200 Family & Consumer Sciences Composite

#201 Hospitality, Nutrition, & Food Science

#202 Human Development & Family Studies

Appointments for these exams will be available starting on September 9, 2019. Please visit the Pearson website to learn more about the transition. The exam questions and content will not change.

Educator Testing Transition

Beginning September 1, 2018, Pearson is the testing vendor for the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program, which includes administration of the following tests: TExES, TExMaT, TASC, and TASC-ASL. ETS will administer the new Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) when it becomes effective in fall 2019. The Educator Testing Transition flyer (PDF, 56 KB) provides more information about the transition.

Educator Certification Examination Retake Limit Change

Candidates are limited to a total of 5 attempts to pass a certification examination under Texas Education Code §21.048. A subsection of the law, which currently counts all attempts of the same examination taken before September 1, 2015 as only one attempt, has expired. Beginning September 1, 2018, all attempts of the same examination, no matter when they occurred, will count toward the 5-attempt testing limit regardless of when the examination was first attempted.

Candidates, educators, and others who took certification examinations before September 1, 2015 and have not yet passed those examinations will find more information in the candidate guidance document. Testers impacted by the change must take their examination(s) by August 31, 2018 if the new test attempt counting method will make them ineligible on September 1, 2018. Candidates who reach the 5-time testing limit must apply for a test-limit waiver to retest.

Note: Individuals who did not test before September 1, 2015 are not affected by the change since all examination attempts have always been included in the attempt count for these testers.

Principal Certification Redesign

TEA is redesigning Texas’ principal certification standards and corresponding tests. For more information, visit the Principal Certification Redesign homepage. The TExES Principal (068) exam will be available to first-time test takers through December 31, 2018, and for retesters only through August 31, 2019.

New Test Refund Policy

Effective September 1, 2018, all processed fees for exam registrations will be refundable up to 170 days from the completion of the initial order payment. The 170-day refund policy begins with the date the initial payment transaction was processed. If an exam is changed (e.g., change of test date), the 170-day refund policy applies to the date the payment was initially processed.

Core Subjects Registration Information

The Core Subjects EC-6 (291) and 4-8 (211) tests are offered on a continuous basis. Educators must register for and take the overall 291 or 211 test on their first attempt. After the first attempt, educators may register for the overall 291 or 211 test or the individual subject area tests. Each testing session counts as another attempt in the 5-time testing limit allowed by law; therefore, educators are cautioned against signing up for an individual subject area test when multiple subject area tests are left to pass. Both options require candidates to wait 45 days to retest.